


Homecoming

by umiyuki



Category: Gyakuten Kenji | Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-15
Updated: 2011-05-15
Packaged: 2017-10-19 10:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/199846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/umiyuki/pseuds/umiyuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edgeworth's return from Europe has been something of a whirlwind trip; Gumshoe decides he needs to take a break.</p><p>Set between cases 3 and 1 of AAI (this game has a rather odd timeline) with a few vague references to AAI's cases but no real spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homecoming

About ten minutes into the drive, Edgeworth notices something.

“Detective Gumshoe,” he says, “this isn’t the way to the Prosecutors’ Office.”

Gumshoe stares at him for a moment, though Edgeworth wishes he’d keep his eyes on the road. “Well, uh,” says Gumshoe, “it’s a shortcut, pal!”

“Detective.”

“I discovered it while you were in Europe!”

Edgeworth raises a skeptical eyebrow, and Gumshoe sighs.

“Alright, Mr. Edgeworth, you caught me,” he says.

“This is the way to your apartment, isn’t it.”

“Yes,” admits Gumshoe, turning his eyes back to the road.

“And why,” says Edgeworth, rubbing his forehead in frustration, “are you driving toward your apartment instead of toward my office? Was my request to be dropped off at my office somehow unclear?”

“No, sir, it’s just…” Gumshoe hesitates for a moment, looking embarrassed. “You’ve been through a lot today, pal. You were on a plane for over twelve hours, and there was all that turbulence, not to mention the two murder investigations… With all due respect, Mr. Edgeworth, you need to rest.”

“I’m perfectly fine, Detective,” protests Edgeworth, though he knows that Gumshoe is right. He’s exhausted.

“I’m not askin’ you to stay all night, or anything, pal,” says Gumshoe. “Just come over and rest for a while. At least let me get some food in you.”

“Some what?”

“Food, Mr. Edgeworth,” says Gumshoe. “You remember food, right?”

“…No.”

Gumshoe looks at him sadly. “I don’t think you’re allowed to go to Europe by yourself anymore, pal.”

“Look, Detective,” says Edgeworth, trying to get the conversation back on topic, “I need to get back to the office. No doubt there’ll be a mountain of paperwork waiting for me.”

“Nope,” says Gumshoe. “Sorry, pal, but I’m not gonna let you work anymore until you eat something and get some sleep.”

Edgeworth decides not to argue any further; Gumshoe usually listens to whatever he says, but when it comes to matters of sleep and that “food” thing, Gumshoe is as stubborn as they come.

“I just… don’t want you to overdo it and collapse or something, sir,” Gumshoe adds. “I’m tryin’ to look out for you.”

Edgeworth takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. “I appreciate it,” he says.

Gumshoe smiles. “Aw, you don’t have to thank me, pal,” he says. “Y’know,” he continues, “it’s gonna be a while until we get to my place. You can go to sleep if you want.”

“I doubt I’ll fall asleep,” says Edgeworth, leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes. “I never sleep in cars.”

~

When he opens his eyes again, he’s not in the patrol car anymore. He’s lying on a familiar brown couch, surrounded by empty Styrofoam bowls and pizza boxes. This is most definitely Detective Gumshoe’s apartment. He sits up and finds Gumshoe’s green trenchcoat spread on top of him like a blanket. Without thinking, he draws the coat up into his arms, almost hugging it, breathing in the scent of cigarettes and coffee and cheap cologne that he’s inexplicably come to like.

“You awake, Mr. Edgeworth?” calls Gumshoe a moment before coming into the room. Edgeworth lets go of the coat, blushing. Gumshoe just smiles at him. “I made us some food, pal,” he says, referring to the two bowls in his hands. “It’s not much, but it should at least keep you going for a while.”

Edgeworth scoots over to make room for Gumshoe on the couch. “Did I fall asleep in the car?”

“You sure did, pal,” says Gumshoe. “You were out like a light.”

“Did I wake up once we got here?”

“Nope,” says Gumshoe, handing him one of the bowls. “You’ve been asleep the whole time. I carried you up. Hope you don’t mind, sir.”

Edgeworth stares at the bowl of noodles, trying to remember what he’s supposed to do with it.

“It’s food, sir,” says Gumshoe gently. “You know, the thing that you eat in order to stay alive.”

“I knew that,” says Edgeworth, but it’s a lie and they both know it.

After they finish eating, Edgeworth gets up to use the bathroom (he may or may not have been holding it all day). When he comes back to the couch, Gumshoe puts an arm around his shoulders.

“You wanna stay and rest a little longer, pal?” he asks, his voice a soft, low rumble.

There can really only be one answer to that question. “Yes,” says Edgeworth. He leans up against Gumshoe’s broad chest, and Gumshoe slowly lies down. He runs one big hand through Edgeworth’s hair.

“I missed you a lot, sir,” he says.

 _I missed you too_ , thinks Edgeworth, and he still kind of can’t believe that this is how his relationship with Detective Gumshoe turned out, given how they started.

“I’m sorry about today, pal,” says Gumshoe, lightly touching the bandage on Edgeworth’s right temple. “It’s my fault you got hurt, I shoulda kept a better eye on you.”

“It’s alright,” says Edgeworth. _You’re here. I’m home now._

“You can get up whenever you need to, pal,” says Gumshoe, starting to sound sleepy himself. “I know jet lag kinda messes you up.”

“Alright,” says Edgeworth, closing his eyes. He falls asleep listening to the rhythm of Gumshoe’s breathing.

~

When Edgeworth wakes up, it’s dark outside, and Gumshoe is still fast asleep underneath him on the couch. He tries to go back to sleep, but it’s no use. Jet lag wins again. He checks his watch and finds that it’s just after one in the morning.

 _I can go into the office_ , he thinks. _I have my keys, and it’s not like I’ve never been there at all hours before._

He nudges Gumshoe to wake him up. “Detective Gumshoe,” he says.

“Hnnh?” Gumshoe opens his eyes partway. “Wha’s the matter, Mr. Edgeworth?”

“I’m getting up,” says Edgeworth. “I can’t sleep, so I’m going in to the office.”

Gumshoe moves to sit up. “You want me to drive you?”

“No, that’s fine,” says Edgeworth, “don’t get up. I’ll call a taxi.”

“You sure, pal?” asks Gumshoe, reaching up to put one hand on the back of Edgeworth’s neck.

“I’m sure,” says Edgeworth, his face growing warm.

“Okay,” says Gumshoe, smiling sleepily at him. “Call me if you need anything, I’ll be there in a jiffy.”

“I will,” says Edgeworth.

Gumshoe pulls him back down a bit and leans up to kiss him. Edgeworth kisses back, wishing that they’d had a little more time to themselves today, because it’s been much too long since they’ve seen each other. He thinks about staying but Gumshoe is pretty clearly about to fall back asleep.

“Goodnight, Detective,” says Edgeworth after he breaks the kiss.

“G’night, Mr. Edgeworth,” says Gumshoe.

Edgeworth gets up, finds his jacket, and as he’s leaving he can hear Gumshoe snoring. He shuts the door of the apartment behind him and takes out his cell phone to call a cab.

~

Forty-five minutes later, Edgeworth gets out his phone again to call Gumshoe, because wouldn’t you know it, there’s a dead guy in his office.


End file.
